My own war
by bbbubbles
Summary: This is a story about Trista, who joins the underground because of her hate for the baron. But as she and Tess and Jinx work, will she learn more about her self? JinxOC, Read and Review please! chapter 18 is up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter One.

Everywhere around me there was screaming. Krimzon guards were trying to get some of the people through the gate as the metal heads swarmed through the city. I ran up to a pipe hanging from the roof of a demolished home and climbed it swiftly, I knew height was my only ally. I watched warily as the chaos ensued around me, and I tried to make sense of everything that was going on. One thing was for sure, I had to get through the gate before they closed it. I ran swiftly along rooftops, praying that none of the support beneath me would shift or break, which would send me plummeting to my death. As I approached the gate, I saw one of the commanders arguing with someone on his transmitter, and I took a moment to listen.

"But Sir! We haven't been able to evacuate everyone yet!" He yelled into the transmitter, while firing a blast at a metal head that had sprung out of a pile of rubble nearby.

"Do not argue with me Torn! In two minutes, I want that gate to close, and anyone who isn't through it will have to fend for themselves!" That voice was familiar. It was Baron Praxis, and I was sure that he wasn't thinking about the people, he was thinking about himself. The city really had gone downhill for the past years since the old baron was killed. I shook it off and watched Torn argue with another guard.

"Dammit Errol, I don't care! We need to keep the gate open!" Torn yelled at the guard, but Errol was already about to close the gate. I shook myself back into reality and hopped over the small space separating me from the gate, and into the city. Errol and other guards followed, and I hid inside a dark corner, watching as two guards pulled Torn in before the gate closed. Torn flung himself at the gate and pounded on it with his fists, yelling and cursing at Errol to reopen it. I shrugged sadly as I watched, because I knew that the gate would never open again, not as long as there were still metal heads.

Soon, without the guards protecting them, the people's dying screams rose louder. I tried to cover my ears to block out the pleading, and the crying, but it didn't work. The guards dragged Torn away and headed down a street leading to the palace, and I just remained motionless as the screams echoed inside my head. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I whipped around, ready to fight off whoever it was. I stopped when I saw my friend, Jinx, standing there. He was bleeding and out of breath.

"Jinx! You're ok! I was so worried. What about Tess? Did she make it?" I asked, fearing the answer. He nodded and smiled slightly at me. I looked at the gate one more time and then turned back to him.

"Lets go." I gripped his hand and walked away with him, refusing to look behind me one last time.

"It's not right! They didn't deserve that!" Jinx put out his cigar and slammed his fist on the table, and Tess jumped slightly at the sound. I slid a comforting arm around her shoulders and gave Jinx a look that plainly said to stop, and he just glowered softly at me.

"Trista. Our parents. Our friends." Tess whispered sadly, and I looked down. Tess and I were cousins. We lived right next door to each other. And it didn't look like anyone else we cared about made it.

"We have to do something. The baron has to be stopped. He left all those people to die!" The anger in my voice was apparent, and the two just looked at me sadly. I looked back at them, trying to rid myself of the sadness and anger that I felt flooding through me.

"Excuse me." I looked up and into the face of Torn, but he wasn't wearing his Krimzon guard uniform.

"You're Torn, I saw you at the gate." I said, and he nodded. I thought about attacking him, but I thought maybe that I should hear him out.

"If you are serious about bringing the baron down, there's an underground group that is forming. Our leader, the shadow, is bringing in new recruits every day." Torn said. I looked at him, not really trusting him too much but I had heard him try to get the other guards to reopen the gate. I looked at Tess and Jinx, and after a moment they nodded, and I looked back at Torn.

"We're in."

Me: Ok, What do you think? Read and Review please! I want to know if you guys like the story.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the game line, Naughty dog does, I only own my character, Trista.

Chapter Two.

I jumped off the pipe in the slums. Krimzon guards were all over this sector! Torn was trying to get passes into other sectors but he had quit the Krimzon guards to join the underground, and so he lost all his connections. Jinx was working for Krew, and he was talking about getting some passes that way, but I just liked sneaking into the other sectors. Tess and Jinx were out in the field so I had nothing to do until they got back, unless you count annoying the meatheads walking around here.

One guard was leaning against a wall, staring all the innocent people down as they fearfully walked past him. I glowered, hating the fact that the guards threw their weight around and acted like they were so much better than us.

"Momma, Poppa!" A little girl was walking around a few feet away from me. Stopping to watch carefully, I also kept an eye on the guard. It wasn't uncommon for them to pick children off of the street and take them into the prison. Tales of dark eco experiments were spreading like wildfire, and Torn was becoming more and more sure that they weren't false. The guard started walking near the girl and I ran over to her. I couldn't let him do that to her.

"Come on, I'll help you find your parents" I said, picking her up and starting to walk away.

"Hey! Stop!" Crap, the guard must really want to bring in another child for tests. Not gonna happen. I made sure I had a good grip on her and started running in the direction of the underground. He kept up with good speed, and apparently was able to pull out his transmitter at the same time.

"Renegade girl and child, running through the sector! Block all exits and capture!" The guards voice echoed through the rapidly emptying alleys as I darted through them. The girl looked up at me fearfully, and I smiled at her.

"I'm scared." She whispered, and I dodged into a small crevice in between some rundown houses. I shushed her as three guards ran past, yelling into their transmitters. I kneeled down and smiled at her.

"What's your name?" I pushed a strand of her red, curly hair out of her eyes as she pulled her thumb out of her mouth to answer.

"Kana."

"Well, Kana. What are you doing wandering around by yourself?"

"My momma and poppa got taken away. The bad men in red took them. Can you help me find them?" Kana twisted one of her red curls around her finger as tears started gathering in her eyes. I bit my lip and motioned for her to be silent as more guards ran past. I flattened myself against the cold and moist wall and pulled Kana next to me, praying to the precursors that they didn't look back here and find us. Looking behind me, I noticed that the small space led to another alley, and I lightly tapped Kana on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow, but quietly. She nodded, trusting me completely to not let the guards get her. We inched toward the other side slowly, and quietly.

Finally, we reached the exit and I slid out, holding Kana's hand as I scanned the alley. Good, we were almost to the hideout, I could see the entrance, hidden on a wall. I turned to pick Kana up and saw a red guard running towards us. He stopped and raised his gun. Looking at Kana with regret, I saw the little girl had been crying. Suddenly, the guard lowered his weapon. I looked at him, not knowing what he was doing.

"Go. I have children of my own. Just get out of here! I'll lead them away." He said, and ran down a different alley, calling to the other guards that he saw the renegades running this way. I picked Kana up and ran with her as fast as my legs would carry me to the hideout.

Torn looked up as I burst in, wondering why the heck I was holding a child. Of course, he never was one who got straight to the point.

"You're bleeding." What? I looked down and saw an angry red gash on my left leg.

"That can happen when you're running from guards." I said, putting Kana down and gently touching the wound. I winced in pain, it was a little more painful than I thought it would be. Torn looked at Kana as he handed me a damp rag.

"So who's the kid? Friend of yours?" He knelt down and stared at her, trying to figure her out. Kana whimpered and hid behind my good leg.

"Leave her alone Torn, you're scaring her. She's just a kid that I saved from having experiments done on her." Torn looked at me, startled.

"I thought I told you to lay low."

"Well sorry Torn, maybe I should have let them take her away. Would that have been the better choice?"

"And you brought her back here!"

"Sorry, my babysitter quit." Torn slammed his fist down on the table and I forced myself not to jump at the sound. He glared at me, and I had to turn away to avoid the fury in his eyes. I pretended to be extremely interested in the cool water running down my leg.

"Damn it Trista! You could have led them straight to us! You could have blown everything we are trying to work for! And all over some kid!" Ok, that did it, now I was really ticked. I spun and faced him.

"Well sorry Torn! I'm sorry ok! I'm sorry that for once, doing the right thing became top priority over your stupid lay low order. Maybe I should just hand her over to the guards, is that what you want!" I was shouting at him now, but I really didn't care, he really had me steamed.

"That's not the point!"  
"Yes it is Torn! But you're just spending so much time in here that you don't really know what is going on out there."

"Ok! That's enough!" Jinx and Tess were standing at the door. I handed Kana to Tess and stomped through the doorway. I needed some time to cool off.

Me: So what do you think? Read and Review, let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 other than Kana and Trista. Everything else is owned by Naughty dog.

Chapter 3

I ran out of the hideout, fuming. I couldn't believe that Torn had actually yelled at me for helping Kana! What a jerk. I didn't know exactly where I was running to but one thing was for sure, there was no way in hell that I was going back to apologize. Torn thinks he has the right to boss everyone around just because he was in the guard. So he has had people kissing his butt, who cares? He doesn't even go out on missions. He just stays at the hideout all day looking at maps. Whoa, is that Kor and the kid? I looked around the corner as Kor and the kid were standing near the jail wall. I hadn't expected to see either of them.

All of the sudden, I saw an blond elf jump out of a wall of the prison and land pretty hard. He stood and brushed himself off, and the rat on his shoulder, was talking! Deciding to get a closer look, I watched as the elf walked near Kor, who of course had to talk to him. As the two conversed, the blond being more of a jerk I might add, I noticed a big group of Krimzon guards heading into the sector.

"Damn." I muttered, and climbed up the side of the house. I wanted to watch from a safe distance, in case I needed to get the kid out of there.

"By order of the baron, everyone in this sector is under arrest for the suspicion of harboring underground fugitives." Oops. I guess I really should get the kid out of there, I started sneaking closer to the group along the ledge of the roof top.

"Surrender and die!" The guard snapped. I rolled my eyes, usually it was hilarious to hear them say that, but not today.

"Excuse me sir, but don't you mean surrender or die!" The orange rat jumped to the ground, and even though he was creepy, he did have a point. The blond elf started fighting the guards and I jumped down beside Kor and picked up the kid.

"Who's he?" I asked, watching the fight with interest. Kor just shrugged and all of the sudden, the elf went psycho and turned gray. Suddenly it all clicked.

"Eco experiments." I whispered in shock. I set the kid on the ground and backed away. Here I was, faced with the reality of what the baron was doing to people. And as much as I hated to admit it, I needed to tell Torn about this. I jumped into the air and grabbed onto a vehicle that had been hovering overhead and knocked the guy driving it out of it. I raced back to the hideout, wondering the whole time who exactly that elf was.

"You're sure!" Torn snapped, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes, I'm sure. I saw him with my own eyes. And you can bet that Kor will be sending him our way. He's a good fighter Torn, he could be useful." I hated standing there and talking to him, but I had to. I wanted to see what that elf was made of. No matter how much butt kissing I had to do in order to get him into the underground. Torn turned away from me and chuckled.

"We'll see." I glared at him silently. There again was the superior attitude that I had come to hate about him. It bugged me so much, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I bowed slightly and walked out, I really needed some time alone.

Sighing, I shifted so I was laying flat on my back on the rooftop. I wonder what it is about Torn that just ticks me off. I mean, it's not like he's mean to me all of the time, it just seems like I work so hard for him, and he barely says anything. Tess and Jinx get praised all the time for what they do. And speaking of which, Jinx was my best guy friend, but I rarely got to talk to him anymore because he and Tess get sent out on more missions together.

A lone tear trailed down my cheek as I thought of how it used to be. Jinx and I would hang out almost every day. Tess didn't hang out with us much because I never really got along with her. I don't really get to talk to him whenever she's around. I sat up and let the tears flow freely now. Was it because she was prettier? Was it because I didn't smile that much anymore? Why doesn't he seem to want to be around me anymore? And what do I have to be happy about anyway? I lost my parents, my whole way of life, and I'm supposed to be happy! I jumped off the roof and landed softly, then walked away. I don't think so.

Me: Thanks to those who have reviewed, hope to hear from more people as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Four

Torn was acting a little less superior. I guess I can cut the guy some slack and go back to the hideout. I was heading back when out of the corner of my eye I saw the blond elf heading the same way. I had a minute so I took a chance to get a better look at him. He wasn't that bad looking, he was tall, and he had a nice face. Well built too. It's a shame that he's a fighter, letting a face like that get messed up is almost heartbreaking enough to make me cry. I shrugged it off and ran to the hideout, and flew down the steps.

"Torn!" I yelled, landing next to the table, making him jump. I laughed inside as he leaned down to retrieve the map he had dropped.

"What!" He snapped, not exactly happy with the way that I had entered the hideout.

"Wonder boy's here."

"Ok, thanks, Tess! Let's go greet him!" Torn said, and she nodded and followed him outside. I followed silently, twirling my sword around silently. I leaned against the wall as the blond boy entered the alley, and walked up to us. Tess stepped in front of him, and he stumbled to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm looking for Torn, Kor sent us." Torn walked up to the blond elf and glared at him, giving him the once over and scowling darkly. I saw past the act Torn was putting on. He was just trying to make this guy jumpy.

"Um, are you Torn?" The elf asked, growing uneasy under his gaze, and the rat on his shoulder spoke up.

"Maybe he's a mute, like you used to be." The elf rolled his eyes and I had to laugh into my hand to keep from bursting into laughter. Torn glared at me as a warning and I hid my smile, but I was pretty sure the rat saw it because he smiled at me.

"New faces make me nervous. Word is you're out to join the fight against the baron. You know, choosing the wrong side could be unhealthy." Torn said, trying again to shake the poor guy up, but he had regained his own tough guy attitude. I smiled at Tess, wondering who would end up intimidating who in this argument.

"We want to see the shadow."

"Heh, not likely. If you really want to prove your worth, steal the barons banner from the old city, and bring it back to me, then, maybe we'll talk." Torn tossed his knife up and caught it, and the elf turned and smirked at him.

"What's your name?" I asked, looking at the blond elf with slight interest.

"It's Jak, and this is Daxter." Jak said, and he walked away, following his radar that pointed out the location of the dead city that Torn was sending him too.

"Trista. Follow him, make sure he doesn't pull anything." Torn said, and walked back into the hideout. I shrugged and ran after Jak, wondering why all of the sudden Torn thought we needed to be careful. I shook away those thoughts as I followed Jak and Daxter. Oh well, just another way to pass the time.

ME: Ok, read and review please, and thanks again to those who did. I will write a longer chapter next time.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Five

Wow, this guy was good. Jak scaled the tower with ease, and left a large trail of monsters behind him. I smiled to myself, Torn had given him an easy mission, but I couldn't really figure out the reason he did. Torn usually wasn't that accepting of new people when he didn't know them that well. Just as I was thinking about that, Torn walked over to the small area I was waiting in.

"Well if it isn't Torn. I was wondering, why did you give Jak such an easy mission? I thought you didn't like people joining who we didn't know too well." I was teasing him, I know. Well he deserved it after all. He was such a pain sometimes. Glancing over, I almost jumped when I saw him staring at me.

"I gave him a chance because you asked me too. Besides, you are a good judge of character." Torn crossed his arms and I blinked. Somewhere in there was the nicest thing he had said to me. I shook my head slightly and watched Jak grab the banner.

"Well, looks like I was right, he is good." I said. Then the tower's foundation crumbled, and Jak and Daxter fell. I jumped to my feet, ready to run and help but Torn grabbed my arm.

"Wait." He said. I looked in the direction he was watching and saw Jak sliding down a wire. Within a minute he landed in front of us just as the tower completely crashed to the ground. For a minute, Torn almost looked impressed. He regained his composure quickly enough though.

"Yeah, I guess you guys are in." Torn said. Jak and Daxter grinned at each other and Torn turned to me.

"Let's go. You guys get back to the hideout soon, I'll give you your first real mission." Torn grabbed my hand and pulled me away, and we walked into the city. I was really confused about the way he was acting so I pulled my hand away and stopped him, looking at him directly.

"What's up? You're acting strange. I thought you were mad about that girl." I looked down sadly, I had started to see where he was coming from when he yelled at me and I was feeling bad about fighting with him about it.

"You reminded me of the reason why I quit the guard. I wanted to help people, I felt bad about all those lives that were lost that day. And I guess I got so caught up in getting revenge on the baron, I forgot why I joined the underground in the first place." Torn wouldn't look at me, and I felt like I was starting to understand him a bit better. He is working his hardest to bring peace to the people.

"That day wasn't your fault. I saw you, you tried to get the gate open." I turned his face so he'd look me in the eyes.

"I should have tried harder. I should have done something more." He said, and we continued walking, mostly because some guards had been staring at us, and Torn couldn't afford to be recognized.

"You! Stop!" Crap, a little too late. Torn jumped into the air and grabbed a vehicle, then lowered it so I could jump in.

"Lets go." He said. I smiled as we zipped through alleyways, Torn was always into fast driving. About two minutes later, we landed in front of the hideout and I turned to him.

"By the way, I think you did your best. A lot of people died yes, but a lot of people survived too. Now all we can do is protect everyone else from the same thing happening again." Torn nodded and I followed him into the hideout. I guess that even guys like him have things they regret too.

ME: Ok, that's it! Please read and Review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Six

I sighed as I leaned back against a bunk. We really needed a bigger hideout. Oh well. Torn was back to staring at his maps, though I was pretty sure he was thinking about everything but the next mission Jak was being sent on. This one was pretty important, and I was impressed that Torn chose it. Jak and Daxter were going to turn on the water to the slums, they had left a little while ago.

"Torn, I'm going to go wander around and try to pick up some new information." I called over my shoulder. He nodded and I smiled secretly to myself. Still lost in his own little world. I opted to walk around this time, because it was a lot easier to listen into guard conversations when they didn't think you were of any importance.

"Help! Someone help me!" Wait a minute, that sounds like something I should look into. Breaking into a run, I cursed all the other people I was running past, because no one could miss those screams of terror. They were just afraid to get involved, which meant that there was guard involvement.

"Someone please!" I skidded to a stop as I turned the next corner and hid for a moment, I should at least make sure I wasn't getting involved in something I shouldn't.

"Oh be quiet you little street rat. I've made it simple, you didn't pay your bills, so you have to pay the price." Oh crap. I know that voice well. Errol, the baron's right hand man. I watched silently as the guards beat the poor elf senseless. I really wanted to help him, but I just couldn't do anything to Errol. Wait, what am I saying, this is someone who needs help! I sucked up the courage and ran at the guards. I knocked one over and grabbed the mans arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Hold your fire! Trista?" Errol looked at me strangely and I smiled at him.

"Long time no see Errol."

"Let that man go. He's facing serious charges."  
"Sorry, can't do that."

"I don't want to have you arrested Trista." I smiled at Errol, so he still did remember that blood is thicker than water. Yes shocker. I was related to him, we're cousins.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but this guy is coming with me." I jumped straight into the air with the man and landed on the roof. I looked at him and made sure he was listening to my next words.

"We need to run, can you do that?" He nodded and I kept a good grip on his arm, pulling him along with me as I ran along rooftops, jumping on new ones from time to time.

"Let them go. We'll get him later." Errol shouted, and I smiled sadly to myself. Errol had changed when he joined the guard, and he was mad at me when I refused to join myself, but I guess he never really forgot the bond we made when we were little, to protect each other from harm. I shrugged off these memories and whipped out my transmitter.

"Torn, I got a man here who needs someplace safe to stay. Any safe houses nearby me?" I listened to the sound of him checking the maps and sighed impatiently.

"Two houses over is our safe house. Leave him there, he'll be fine, then get yourself back to the hideout." I clicked my end off and jumped to the ground with the man, pulling him inside the safe house.

"You ok?" I asked, though he seemed fine to me. He nodded and I turned to leave.

"Wait!" I looked at him and he was slightly smiling at me.

"Thank you. I'm Rade. I owe you my life."

"Just doing what's right. You'll be fine Rade, you don't owe me anything." I smiled slightly as I left and ran back to the hideout. He seemed like a really nice guy. I was still thinking about my chance encounter with my cousin when I walked back into the hideout. Jak was just leaving, sent on another really hard mission again. Torn just nodded his approval at me and I laid down on a bunk.

This has been a really long week. I need a break.

Me: Read and Review please.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Seven

I woke up to a completely dark room. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and glanced around myself, Torn and Jinx must be out on another mission because the hideout was empty. Stretching, I shrugged it off, I might as well head to the bar to talk to Tess. She was assigned there not to long ago to keep and eye on Krew and the under cover schemes he was running.

I glanced at my watch, which wasn't much help because I couldn't see the hour hand without light. I growled in frustration, and rolled off the bunk. After all, I was wide awake anyway, might as well wander over to the slums port and take a swim. I grabbed my pack and headed outside and stopped for a moment, something about this didn't feel right. I dropped my bag and flattened myself against a wall and listened, not daring to make a sound or movement, until I was sure there wasn't anyone hiding nearby.

I remained there for a half hour, almost jumping at every sound but once I trusted myself enough too, I took a step away from the wall. Looking around, I slowly leaned down and picked up my pack. Once I had that, I quickly, but slowly, edged my way around a corner and scanned the open area, nothing but the down trodden people and a few guards, and I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

What was I doing anyway? Of course I'm in danger, but that's only because I have a tendency of pissing people off half the time. I smiled and opened my eyes. Besides, no one who really had a reason to hurt me was willing to come this close to the hideout, not that anyone really knew where it was if they weren't in the underground and able to be trusted. I sighed and continued walking to the port. I really needed something to help me relax. And if Torn got back and needed me for a mission or something, I had my transmitter on me.

Walking, it took me an hour to reach the port, but only because the guards think you did something wrong if you are moving too quickly for their liking, and as much as I would love to get into another fight with the guards, I didn't feel like it tonight. I walked along the run down bridge walkways until I found a secluded spot where even the guards didn't go because no one lived nearby. A couple of the bridges had rotted away and sunk three houses before the guards put out notices saying the people in the remaining houses had to move. I slipped out of my armor and changed into my suit.

One of the rare things I had was a suit, and I only managed to get this one because I had grabbed it the night I escaped from the old city before I left the house. I loved to swim, but doing it during the daytime wasn't that brilliant of an idea because even the dense guards would notice. I slipped into the water and sighed contently. I hadn't been able to get out here that often, and I was really starting to miss the opportunities to swim at night. I dove under the water and swam down to the wreckage of an old house.

Something shined when a ray of moonlight hit it, and I swam over to where I thought it had shined from. It looked like a small chain of some sort but it was stuck under a broken bit of wall. I grabbed the rubble and lifted with all the strength, and balance, I could and managed to get the chain free. Examining it, I noticed a small blue gem at the base of the necklace, but a moment later I felt the sudden need to breath. I swam back up to the top and burst into the cool night air, gasping slightly.

"What was that!" Crap, that sounded like a guard had heard my surface. I swam under one of the bridges and grabbed a board to keep myself from moving and making noise.

"You were just hearing things."

"You know if Errol finds out someone was in this section, we'll get our asses chewed. We just need to check it out." Double crap, their footsteps stopped right above my head and I held my breath. I prayed silently that they didn't see my bag laying on the lower planks, but they just remained motionless.

"Come on man. We need to keep patrolling. Errol is staring at us and, oh crap, here he comes."

Errol? Oh great. That's exactly what I need. I shuddered slightly as he marched over, of course he would have to stomp the whole way.

"Quit loitering around! Get back on patrol." Errol snapped, and I almost laughed. Looks like I was in the clear. Until my nose itched. Oh come on, I can't sneeze, not right now.

"Ah…Ah-choo!" Crap.

"Wait, get back here! There's someone in the water, get her out!" Errol commanded. Before I could think to dive under the water, a guard had grabbed my arms and yanked me out from under the bridge. I grimaced as the guards leered at me, but Errol only smirked.

"Well Trista. Still sticking to the night life I see."

"Only way to live Errol, you should try it sometime."

"You're not allowed to be here. I need to take you in to see the baron." I looked at him like he had grown an extra head. Suddenly, a rag was placed over my mouth and nose and a wave of chemicals invaded my senses. Feeling dizzy, I slumped into the guards arms, and felt the world spin. Errol smiled, and I pitched into darkness.

Oh, my head, where am I? I sat up and looked around, trying to recognize the room I was in. Well I could at least see, because the sun was rising and was sending several rays of light over the room. Seeing didn't help much, because I still didn't have a clue where I was. Well, I did if you counted me knowing I was in a bed in a room I had never seen before. I shrugged and stepped onto the floor, which was really cold.

Wait a minute, what exactly am I wearing? I looked at myself in a mirror on the far wall. I was dressed in a silver floor length gown. That was odd, I didn't recall changing. Which probably meant someone had changed me into this. I shuddered to think of one of the guards doing it, and tried to force the images away. All I knew was that I needed to get out of here and fast.

I ran over to the window and pulled open the curtain, and cried out. About a hundred miles below me was the city. Which meant that going out the window was a bad idea for one and for two, I was in the palace. The door creaked open and I spun to see Errol smiling at me from the doorway. I tried to steady my voice before I turned to him and asked.

"What's going on?"

Me: Ooh cliffhanger. Read and review please. I'll try to keep updating a lot. Let's see what happens next.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Eight

Errol stood there smiling at me. I glared at him as he plainly ignored me for a minute, then he took a slow, deliberate step into the room. For some reason, even though I had known this guy since I was just a little girl, he scared me for no reason that I can think of. He walked over to the window and looked down at the city, then motioned for me to take a look.

"Look at them. People who are weak, who don't even have the power to do anything for themselves. They scurry through the streets like rats. Too afraid to protect themselves." He looked at me and for a moment, his eyes were shadowed with darkness and I took a step back.

"They try their best Errol. They make a living the best they can." I turned from him and wondered why I was in the palace. They didn't just bring everyone who did something wrong to come live in the palace.

"I'm one of them remember? I'm one of those dirty little rats that you hate so much. I scurry through those streets on a daily basis. So why am I here?" I could hear him walk over to me again. He grabbed my arm and made me face him. I wanted more than anything to just hit him, but I restrained. Here wasn't the place to start something. I wasn't even armed with anything that could help me get away. Errol touched my cheek and smirked at me.

"No, you, you are something more. Something special, or at least the baron thinks so. He wants you to stay here for a while. So here you are, oh, and speaking of the baron, he has requested that you come to see him. Let's go." So that's the game. There were rumors on the streets about this. If a girl was pretty enough, the baron took her in. Soon enough he sent her on her way though. That wouldn't happen to me. That dirty disgusting man was not going to treat me like a little bubble head that he could use to his wishes.

I followed Errol down the hall, hating each step that I had to make. Wishing more than anything that someone would show up and save me, but Torn didn't know where I was, and there was a good chance there wouldn't be time even if he did. We passed by a window and I snuck another glance outside. The sun was setting, and it had started to rain. If I found a way out of here, the rain might make a good cover.

Errol stopped in front of two huge double doors. I swear, those are the biggest doors I have ever seen in my life. He typed his password into a box on the wall and the doors opened, and he pushed me inside.

"So your awake. Good, I've been anxious to talk with you." Wow, the baron in the flesh, isn't this a surprise. He looks, well, really scary actually, but I'm not going to let him know that he's got to me already. Errol nudged me forward, a little less than gently and I took a few cautious steps. The baron chuckled and walked to me and cupped my chin in his hand.

"My my my, you are a pretty one aren't you?" He said, and I tried to keep myself from hurling. To think that this, this thing, was touching me made me want to hurl and then hurl again. I suppressed a shudder and chose to glare at him defiantly.

"Hmm, but your eyes hold stubbornness, almost as if you blame me for you being here. You know, I've met girls like you before. Headstrong, willful." He ran his fingers through my hair and smiled at me.

"They soon found out how harmful it is to be like that to their baron." He smirked as I pulled away, but he made sure to keep a good grip on my arm. To my relief, he broke his gaze when a red guard came into the room and said something to Errol.

"Sir! We've received word that the meeting is to commence now." Errol said. The baron swore and then recomposed himself. I glanced at the door, they had left it open. If I could just slip out unnoticed, I had a pretty good chance of getting out of the palace. Errol walked over and pulled me over by him near the door.

"Aren't you lucky? You get to observe the baron in a meeting. Maybe now you'll understand now how hard he works to keep you people safe." I shrugged and watched as the baron booted up his transmitter.

I almost cried out in alarm as I saw the metal head face appear over the transmitter. There was no way. I covered up my shock by looking up to the glass ceiling, only to receive a bigger shock. Was that, it was! Jak was watching from the ceiling up there. And he was looking right at me. I couldn't do anything to draw attention to him so I quickly looked around me. Errol had left my side, along with the guard, to talk to the baron.

Now was the best chance I had. I was supposed to be watching the meeting, but Jak would tell Torn about this. I was about to slip out the open door when another guard ran into the room.

"Sir! We've detected an intruder on the roof!" He said, saluting as he skidded to a stop. I cursed the luck, Jak must have accidentally set off an alarm. The baron rushed past me and to my disadvantage, Errol came back over and grabbed my arm.

"Thought you could leave, huh? Not likely." I looked at him and decided to try and reach the kind cousin I knew was still in there somewhere. I bit my lip lightly and looked at him. I guess I startled him by summoning up the fake tears that were now quickly filling up my emerald eyes.

"Errol, I just want to go home. At least now I've met the baron. He really is trying to make the city safe for us. I see that I should let the guards be. Can't I please go home?" I looked up at him with my puppy dog eyes and I saw him soften.

All of the sudden, he was yanking me through the door. I had no idea what was going on, but I had a feeling that what I just tried didn't work too well. I couldn't even see half the hallways I was being dragged through, until he stopped in front of a large door. Errol typed in his password again, and the doors opened. He dragged me outside, into the rain, and I realized he was taking me out to freedom. After walking through a few alleys, he stopped and turned to me.

"I'm letting you go only because you're my family, but Trista, please I beg you. Be careful. I know you're helping the underground, and I also know the punishment you'll face if the baron catches you. You're bag is probably at the underground, I told one of the guards to drop it nearby. Now go!" He released my arm and I stood there, shocked for a moment. I turned to run, but on a second thought I turned back and ran to him.

Throwing my arms around him, I hugged him close and once I stepped back, he was staring at me, baffled.

"Thanks Errol. I knew you were still a good person." I turned and ran down an alley and grabbed a vehicle. I knew that I should be getting back to the hideout. Wait until I told Torn about everything that had happened.

Me: Ok, read and review please, thanks to those that have.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Nine

Wow, I'm going to have to hoof it from here. I landed the vehicle, and looked around me. I had just entered the slums sectors and it had begun raining way to hard for me to navigate this thing safely. At least walking wouldn't be so bad. I sighed and brushed some of my hair out of my eyes. I shrugged after looking around for a moment and walked in the direction of the hideout. I could still see that arrogant smile the baron had on his face. Even though he disgusted me, I was still afraid of him. He had power, and none of his threats were empty. I thought about the other poor girls who thought they could hold out against him, and wondered what happened to them.

Only a couple blocks now, and of course the rain is coming down harder. I ducked into a doorway to have a couple seconds of shelter before I kept going. I shuddered against the cold wind and hugged myself. I hated moments like this. The moments when I'm left alone with my thoughts, when I couldn't just do something to get away from things that were bothering me.

People who walked by stared as they past. I could see in some of their eyes, the ones who knew what probably had happened. No one stopped though, and I sighed and got ready to plunge back into the rain.

Someone walked up and handed me a coat. I looked up and saw a elf girl, maybe a little younger than me, smiling with sympathy.

"Thanks." I said. She just nodded and walked away and I pulled the coat on and started running through the rain. I could see my last turn up there, then I could see if my bag was really there, I didn't feel like having to run back through the rain to get it.

I smiled with relief as I walked into the hideout and stopped short. Torn and the shadow, or Samos, as he told me to call him, were staring at me with shocked looks on their faces.

"Trista? What happened to you?" Torn walked over to me and handed me a towel he had grabbed off a bunk nearby. I shrugged and accepted it. I was going to explain in a minute, but I wanted to change first.

"Either of you seen my bag? It's got my cloths in it." I said, Torn tossed it to me and I smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, I'm going to go change." I wanted a minute to gather the right words to tell them what had happened. At least in a way that wouldn't sound like I was as afraid as I pretended I wasn't when I was at the palace.

I changed silently and I listened as I heard Jak and Daxter return and report what they had found out. I brushed out my hair and joined them back in the main room and Jak looked at me for a moment and then ran over.

"Are you ok? I saw the baron talking to you, and I was worried. I didn't know if you escaped or not!" Crap, this is the part that I hate. Sure enough, Torn and Samos were staring at me like I had suddenly grown a third arm.

"Trista! Care to explain why you were at the palace? What happened!" Torn asked, well, less than kindly. I rolled my eyes and cast a thanks a lot look to Jak who shook his head in an apology.

For the next hour, I told the three everything that had happened. I didn't want to tell them that Errol knew where the hideout was because somehow that would be blamed on me so I purposely omitted that fact. Jak watched me silently through my whole explanation and looked kind of taken aback when I told them how I escaped.

Well, that's strange, even Torn isn't saying anything. That's a first for him. I looked down and wondered if they blamed me for this. I didn't want to find out so I just turned around and ran back outside. Not really knowing why I randomly didn't want to talk to them, I just wanted to get away.

Me; Read and Review please


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Ten

Ok, so I'm out in the rain again, and this time without a good reason. You know, maybe running away wasn't the best idea to run away again. I dismissed that thought and sat next to the large crack in the ground and looked down at the pipes. The streets here were so degraded, but the baron doesn't have time to fix them. I guess it's hard to rule a whole city with terror.

I laughed at myself. I was being really bitter about this. Nothing had happened to me there so I was okay. So what if he had really scared me and I wasn't used to that? I've been through worse than that before. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up into Jinx's eyes. For a second he just kneeled next to me, and I stared at him for a moment. I smiled and threw my arms around him, almost knocking him over and he laughed at me.

"I've heard that you've had a rough time. Torn asked me to come back home and talk to you. How you doing baby sister?" He asked, placing a hand on my head and holding me close.

"Jinx, I missed you so much! And this whole deal with the baron had me scared half to death!" I cried. I was sobbing into his shirt as he held me, but he really didn't seem to mind much. I was grateful for that, I couldn't take having him pull away. He pulled back and tilted my head so I was looking him in the eyes.

"Tell me what happened okay? I'm not able to do much to help, but I can listen." He said. I smiled at him and he hugged me again as I recounted everything that had happened while he was out on missions. I noticed that by the end of my story, he was holding me a little tighter. I hadn't cried like this in a long time.

"Trista, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you were having such a hard time! I shouldn't have been gone so much. Maybe I could've helped you." He said. I shook my head and didn't say anything. I didn't want him to blame himself for what had happened.

"Torn wanted me to tell you that you never have to be ashamed to tell him anything. He's always here to listen. He'll always call me home if you need him too." Jinx said, and I nodded into his shirt and smiled sadly.

"Come on, lets go back inside. It's raining really bad out here." Jinx hopped to his feet and held out his hand to help me to my feet. I grabbed it and he pulled me to my feet and held my hand as we walked back to the hideout.

I've never seen that look in Torn's eyes before. It was concerned and relieved at the same time. He smiled at me and Jinx when we walked back in, and Jak hugged me. Daxter just curled up on my shoulder and I felt a strange feeling. This was my home, a place where people will always be happy to see me. No matter what shape I come home in.

"You guys are my family you know that?" I asked. Jinx and the rest of the guys looked at me and smiled. Torn spoke first.

"Of course we are. We're you're older brothers. We'll always take care of you Trista." I smiled at him and nodded and he grinned and looked back at his maps. Jinx looked at me and hugged me again.

"Of course. You're the closest thing I've ever had. I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I'll protect you forever." Jak nodded in agreement and I sat on a bunk and curled up and stared at my newfound family and smiled. It had been a while since I have had a place to call home. I guess somewhere along the line of watching my brothers work, I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning with a blanket spread over me. I sat up slightly and looked around the room. Jinx was spread out on a bunk across the room. Torn was asleep at the table and Jak was sleeping by leaning against the wall.

I smiled and slipped out from under the blanket and walked as silently as I could into the back room so I could change. I pulled on a silver sundress, and stared at myself in the mirror. My red hair was tumbled around my shoulders, and my emerald eyes were shining. I looked like a girl who had everything in the world.

I shrugged off the feeling of having something more than other people had and walked back into the room. I felt like something bad happened the second I stepped out because all the guys were staring at me.

"What happened?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"It's Tess." Jinx whispered, and I felt my world fall and crash.

Me: read and review please!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Jak2 or 3, and I don't own any of the characters other than Trista. Naughty dog owns everything else.

Chapter Eleven

The second I heard those two words, I felt my whole world crash. I couldn't think for a moment and there was a dull roar as I wondered what happened to her.

"Where is she?" I asked, in a hollow voice that didn't sound anything like my own. Torn pointed to a slum house circled on the map and I stared at it. I knew where that house was, I had saved Rade from those guards from that house. The only person who would know about that would be Rade and Errol and those guards. I grabbed my sword and pack and started toward the door when Torn's hand on my arm pulled me back. I swung and glared at him, sending him the look that plainly said what the hell are you doing?

"Where are you going?" He asked. I almost laughed because if he thought about it, he would realize how stupid of a question that was. I smiled and shook my head slightly. If he wanted me to say that I was just going out for a walk then that would be what I would say. I don't think he would fall for it though, because I wasn't one of those people who just sat around and did nothing.

"I need to think." I said, and pulled my arm free from his grip and walked outside. I kept walking for a few blocks, turning at random corners just in case one of my brothers decided to follow me. I quickly ran around a corner and jumped onto the roof and crouched down. Sure enough, Jak and Jinx ran past.

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know."

"Crap, let's keep looking." I watched them turn around and run in the opposite direction and exhaled a laugh. I knew that I should have let them come to help me, but I just had to do this myself. Because odds were that the people who grabbed Tess didn't want her at all, and were just trying to find me.

I shrugged it off and ran along the rooftops, and finally found the house I was looking for. I jumped down behind it and slid under a slightly open window, listening for any conversation I could hear clearly.

"Let me go you jerks! I didn't do anything!" There, that was Tess's voice. I knew I was right, they must have grabbed her on her way home from spying at Krew's place.

"Oh calm down little girl. It's not you we want but your sister, Trista. The baron really wants to talk with her again. I do too actually." Errol? I couldn't believe it. Had my cousin gone mad? Or was he just following orders again?

"I don't know a Trista!" Oh crap Tess, don't lie to them. They'll kill you for that.

"Don't lie to me. I know you know her. It's all a matter of time until she shows up and tries to save you. Besides, we won't kill her. We'll let her go once the baron gets bored of her. Can't say that she'll be the same person afterwards though." Errol's cruel and cold laugh sent chills down my spine. Now was the best time to get in there and get Tess out before they hurt her.

"She'll never go with you jerks!" I heard the sound of her boot connecting with something and I smiled. That's so like her, always living for the fight.

"You little bitch, I'll make you pay for that!" A guards voice now. I jumped up and dove through the window, rolling as I landed on the floor, with glass shards flying all around me.

I looked up and grinned at them, and drew my sword out of the sheath on my back. Jumping into the air, I cut the rope that was holding Tess in mid air. She screamed as she started to fall but I caught her and we both landed safely.

"Looking for me?" I asked, smiling at Errol and setting Tess back on her feet. She hugged me and then glared at the guards.

"Don't be so cocky Trista. I can have you're little friend here killed anytime. I'm here to offer you an ultimatum. Come with us peacefully and the girl can go. Resist, and, well, let's just say it won't be pretty." Errol smirked at me but I saw his eyes. They were begging silently for me to make this easy, so he didn't have to do anything to her. The cold cruel and hollow look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a certain kind of warmth. I sheathed my sword and looked at Tess, apologizing for what I had to do.

"Trista! No, I won't let you!" She yelled, throwing herself on me and clinging for dear life. I hugged her for a moment, and a lone tear rolled down my cheek. I knew I had to do this.

"I'm sorry Tess. I'll be fine. I'll see you again." I said. I pulled away from her and the two guards grabbed her arms, holding her back so I could step around her. She wailed and struggled to get away and yelled my name, but I couldn't hear any of it.

"I'm ready." I looked at Errol, and a certain type of regret filled his eyes. I held my head high and marched past him, and into the awaiting guard hellcat.

Twenty minutes later I was kneeling before the baron once more, and wishing more than anything I could run away. He smiled cruelly at me and grabbed my hand, yanking me to my feet.

"I knew you would come back. Like all those girls before you, you won't let the people you love be in danger. And now you belong to me." He grasped the side of my face and made me look at him. Behind him, I could see Errol standing by the doorway, and he looked away in disgust.

"Look at me you little street rat!" The blow sent me reeling, and I landed on the hard marble floor. He smiled and kicked me in the stomach as I started to raise myself back up by my elbows and I cried out and skidded a couple feet. I heard his footsteps and I looked up hatefully as he walked over to me, that calm smirk set in place. I felt blood running down the side of my face from where he hit me, and I bit my tongue to keep myself from yelling at the bastard.

"Yes, that's right. There's the look of pure hatred, but don't try and fool me my dear. You're shaking. I terrify you. You'll hate me with the very core of your being, but you'll let me do whatever I want to you because you don't want to die." He chuckled darkly, and it was almost enough to send chills down my spine.

"Get up." He spat, and I rose slowly to my feet. Errol had already figured out what I was going to do and reached out in protest, but decided against it and lowered his hand. If I survived what I was going to do, I'd tell all my family about how I thought about them. The baron wasn't as smart. He leaned down and roughly grabbed my chin and turned my face, and fiercely pushed his lips against mine.

I summoned up my courage and took one last look out the window in the direction of the hideout. I wondered if I would live to see them again. My family. I closed my eyes and bit down on his lip hard. He cried out in pain and rage and stepped back from me, staring at me and shaking with anger. A small trail of blood seeped from his lip as he glared and I smirked.

"I would rather die, than submit myself to you." I said. I ran to the window on the last word and hurled myself through it. The setting sun caught the shards of glass as they glittered around me, and I let myself fall. I felt the sting as glass entered my skin, but I was more focused on where I was going to land. Tears streamed from my eyes as I looked at the city below me.

But then I looked up and saw the baron at the window and I smiled as Errol appeared at his side. I closed my eyes as I started falling faster and silently said goodbye to all my brothers. I looked down and saw I was getting closer to the ground now, but wait…

Jinx was waiting right below me in a vehicle, and he tossed a small blue ball at me. It burst when it hit my arm and I was surrounded by a blue glowing shell.

"An eco shield?" I breathed as I slowed down, and was caught by Jinx's waiting arms. The shield disappeared and I stared at him in disbelief.

"Torn and Jak helped me make it. Good job, you got out of there and out from under their radar." I stared at him, not able to say anything, and he just smiled at me. Sobs shook my body and I clung to him, so thankful for the chance to see him.

"Let's go home." He said, and he drove back to the hideout, where, I'm sure, my brothers and the rest of my family were waiting for me.

Me: read and review. I'll update soon! Think I should have Errol and Trista meet and talk? Review me your votes!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Twelve

Two weeks, and I still hurt. Shrugging my shoulders a bit, I tried to flex out whatever it was that was tied in a knot. I sighed and glanced outside the window. It was still raining out, one of the worst rains we've had all year. And Jak's out there running around in it.

I had finally gotten a chance to go back to my apartment, something I hadn't been able to do in a while, I had been so busy trying to help out the underground that I hadn't been home much, and that meant there was a ton of stuff to do before I could relax. I glared at the pile of magazines and clothes on my couch like they had put themselves there and sighed.

Guess I should start with the laundry first. Stupid clothes, wish they would just stay clean. I started wandering around, grabbing clothes from wherever I had tossed them and started loading them into the washer. That being done, I sorted out the magazines and put them back into the cabinet, then looked at the dishes remaining. I was about to start loading them into the washer when my doorbell rang.

"Always something." I muttered, setting them into the sink and stomping over to the door. Doing chores has always put me into a bad mood, so I didn't even check to see who it was and I just yanked open the door.

"Hey." Ok, this has got to be a nightmare. Seriously, the precursors aren't this mean. But no matter how many times I blink, it's still Errol standing in my doorway.

"Hi.." I admit it, I wanted to slam the door in his face, but one look into the hallway told me he didn't have guards with him, yet anyway. I motioned for him to come in and he smiled awkwardly before stepping through the doorway.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here, so I'll get right down to it." He said, grabbing my arm and making me sit by him on the couch.

"You're in danger. The baron knows that you survived that fall, mostly because of the guards on patrol that day. All the guards are on high alert, and this time, he wants you brought in dead or alive. I can't help you this time if you're caught." I noticed he was holding my hand tightly now, and a small part of me wanted to pull away, to block these words out, but I just couldn't.

"Well what can I do? I can't stay cooped up here forever!" I said, yanking away and standing. He looked down for a moment and seemed to be thinking, and I couldn't believe he had risked it to come here and warn me.

"There is one way. Outside Haven, there's a desert city named Spargus. I know the ruler there, actually, he owes me a favor. I could sneak you out to the underground, and from there I could get you to the airlift and to Spargus safely. It's the only way, and Damos will take care of you." He stood and placed a hand on my face.

"But, my friends, my family, everyone is here!" I cried, and against my will tears started to gather in my eyes.

"It's the only way. Please trust me Trista. You're my flesh and blood. I don't want anything to happen to you." He looked at me and I stared into his eyes, considering everything he had told me. I knew he was right, I could never live in peace here, I would always be running.

"Ok. Just give me a minute to get some clothes." I ran into my bedroom, trying not to cry. Errol was in the other room, using his transmitter and talking to Damos. I tossed a bunch of clothes into a bag, and my weapons. I almost turned away, but almost as a last minute thought turned and grabbed my worn leather book. It had pictures of the underground people in it. I stuffed it into the bag and walked out. Errol handed me a cloak.

"You can't be recognized. I'm going to take you in a vehicle, and you can have a few minutes saying goodbye to your friends, but then we have to go." He said. I nodded and pulled my cloak on, and he led me out of the apartment, and then out of the building.

The next few minutes seemed to be going way too fast for me to keep up. Before I could register it, we had landed in front of the hideout.

"I'll wait here. Don't take too long." I nodded and left my bag in the vehicle. The door opened and I walked down the stairs slowly, and pulled my hood away from my face. Torn and Jinx were here. They would have to tell everyone else.

"Trista!" Torn jumped to his feet and Jinx almost dropped the small bomb he had in the palm of his hand.

"Torn, Jinx, I just had to come say goodbye." I said, a tear trailing down my cheek. They stared at me in shock as I recounted everything Errol had told me, and watched their reactions.

"Don't go. We can protect you! You could stay here!" Jinx cried, and I sucked in a breath and shook my head slowly. Torn just nodded, and after a second I flung myself forward and hugged Torn, and then Jinx.

"Goodbye." I whispered, and ran outside, jumping into the vehicle. Errol launched us into the air and toward the port, and I looked back. Jinx had run outside and was yelling my name, and I only waved before pulling my hood back on.

An half hour later, we landed in front of the air lift, and I looked at Errol.

"I can't go with you. The pilot is part of the underground, and Damos is waiting. Be safe." He said, handing me my bag. I nodded slowly for a minute, and then hugged him tightly. He seemed shocked at the gesture, but slowly, he returned my hug.

"Thank you." I whispered, and boarded the airlift. As we slowly rose into the air, and the door shut, I stared out the window at my beloved Haven. I watched Errol and Haven disappear into the distance and finally, I allowed myself to cry.

Me: Whoo. Next chapter she arrives in haven, and the chapter after that will jump to the day that Jak arrives at Spargus. Read and Review, thanks to those who have.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Thirteen

It took about an hour for the airlift to get to Spargus, but it didn't feel like that long. I guess it was because I had too much time to think about everything. The fact that I had left my washer running made me laugh at first, but soon thoughts of leaving my friends behind and having to start over somewhere else, was almost too much to bear. I wiped away some tears for what seemed like the hundredth time and glanced back out the window. Nothing but sand, and the occasional cactus as far as I could see. Haven had disappeared a while ago, but I didn't stop looking back. The guy who was flying the airlift had glanced back at me a couple of times, but soon he just focused back on where he was flying.

I guess this is what people mean by you don't know what you have until it's gone. Of course, I would see them again sometime, but that thought didn't help the pain any. I guess somewhere along the way I dozed off because before I knew it, the landing jolted me out of my sleep. I thanked the guy and grabbed my bag and looked up at the tall wall, I guess the city wall.

"Trista?" Damas, I'm guessing, because he looks kind of royal, you know. Anyway, Damas walked up to me, with an almost curios look on his face walked up and I bowed slightly.

"None of that. Errol told me what happened, why you had to leave the city, and he asked me to let you live here." I nodded and Damas motioned for me to follow him. The huge gate door slid open, revealing a whole lot of vehicles, but not like the ones in Haven, these were huge, and standing next to one was an even larger elf than I had seen. We walked past him without saying anything, and he just stared as I walked past.

"Here in Spargus we value strength over everything else. Anyone else is just dead weight. You should have no problem here. Errol tells me that you are quite good at defending yourself and others. That's good." I nodded and looked around. It was so different from Haven. There weren't any downtrodden people here. In fact, it looked like you'd get shot if you accidentally bumped into someone here. Everyone walking around was carrying around weapons.

"I'll be fine." I said, pulling my bag a little closer to me and feeling grateful that I had my weapon strapped onto my back as well.

"I'm sure." Damas said and stopped in front of a house, a rather nice one too. He opened the door and tilted his head slightly, and I walked in.

"Errol said you needed to be close to the palace, but not in the palace. He wouldn't really explain why, but I think you'll find this home to your liking. I walked up the staircase and drew in a breath. It had a lot of room, and it looked a lot like my old apartment in some ways. I turned and smiled at Damas, which seemed to knock him off guard a little, but, reluctantly, he returned it.

"Well then, when you're settled, I'd like you to come see me at my palace. Here's a map to help you get there." He tossed me an old map and turned and left and I dropped my bag in a chair. Oh well, guess these people aren't all emotional half the time. I sighed and walked over to a window and opened it. I didn't care that I should be putting my stuff away, I leaned against the window frame and closed my eyes for a minute.

Jinx, I wonder how you're taking this? Hope you aren't blowing too many things up because you are thinking about this too much. Torn's probably figuring out ways to annoy the baron, and of course Jak has to go out and actually do most of the fighting. Tess would probably be working at the bar by now.

I turned away from the window and looked around my new home. It was a house, and had an upstairs too, but I would look up there later. I grabbed my bag and opened a door to my right, which was the bedroom.

I looked at the rather large bed and smiled, it looked really soft, so I would love sleeping in it when I got the chance. I smiled to myself and pulled a folded blanket out of my bag, and spread it over the bed. My mother had taught me how to make blankets, and this one had a star design on it, but sparkled because of the glitter I had added a while back.

Next, I pulled out my cloths and hung them in the closet. I had a few dresses that I didn't wear in Haven because of living in the slums, and because they weren't good for fighting in. I pulled out my sketch book and other books and put them on the bookshelf, and finally laid the photo album on my bed and sighed. I wanted nothing more than to have all my stuff from home here, but Errol had to send it slowly. I flopped down on the bed and started to cry. This place was nice, but it just wasn't home.

A knock jolted me upright from the bed and I rubbed my eyes, and looked around, I didn't expect anyone to be visiting this place. I sighed and walked over to the front door and opened it. Standing there was a tall, pretty, elf girl.

"Hi! I'm Mel, and I saw our ruler bring you here. I thought you might need some stuff so some of my friends and I gathered some cash, and I'm wondering if you would like to go to the market." Wow, this girl didn't take a breath. I smiled, because she was a little like Tess.

"Sure." I closed the door behind me and followed Mel down the dusty path to the market.

"So you're from Haven. I've never been there." She said, and I nodded. I saw a stall with clothes and weapons set out, and I wandered over to it, pulling out my bag with money in it and buying a few more outfits.

"Does anyone sell sketch pads and notebooks?" I asked awkwardly. She nodded and led me over to a stall, which had all types of art supplies and writing materials, along with books. I grabbed three notebooks, two sketch pads, a good stack of books and some pens, I wanted to record a lot of stuff while I was here.

"Ok, we should probably get you some food so you'll have something to eat tonight. Max!" Mel waved to a pretty good looking elf with sandy blond hair and he waved us over to his stall.

"Trista, this is Max. Max, this is Trista. She needs some food supplies that'll last the next couple of weeks. I'll pay." Mel said. I opened my mouth to protest but she held up her hand and I gave up. Nothing stopped this girl.

"Sure. I'll fill out the order and drop it by later. Nice to meet you Trista." He said. I nodded and Mel followed me back to my house.

Waving, I watched Mel walk away and I went inside. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here after all.

Me: Read and Review please. Next chapter Jak comes to Spargus.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Fourteen

"Ow!" Ok, that was very graceful. Here I am, sitting on some rocks and sketching the ocean and the view in the distance for the thousandth time, and I fall off. Well, actually, I fell off because I heard a voice I had thought I knew from over, wow, over a year ago now.

"C'mon Jak! Let's go see what that big black thing is!" Yes, I recognized that voice. I jumped off the rocks and inspected my arm. A scratch, a fairly good sized one, dripped blood down my arm. I shrugged and tore a strip of cloth off of my shirt and tied it around the wound. I pulled myself back up to the path and ran in the direction of the black machine, trying to follow their voices.

Could they really be here? Am I imagining them again? I shook my head to clear these thoughts and kept running until I saw the black machine sitting near the far wall. A monk was watching Jak tap a screen, and Daxter was watching silently. Jak, Daxter, why were they here?

A second later Jak stepped back and I heard Daxter say something but I couldn't make it out. Jak pulled an eco crystal away from the machine and I smiled. Our monks probably wouldn't like him getting involved in the search for the crystals, but I could see by the way he was listening that he wasn't about to just give up.

Suddenly, the machine jumped to life and launched itself into the air, and exploded ten seconds later. Whoa, ok, I'm officially not messing with any of that stuff. I like being in one piece. A drop of blood trailed down my arm and I turned my attention back to Jak. He was walking away, and I ran behind buildings to catch up with him. I hadn't seen him in so long, I couldn't just let him walk away.

Climbing up a broken set of stairs, I watched as he started walking near the stairs. About two more seconds, now! I yelled in my head and jumped down, landing in front of him.

"Hi Jak, Daxter, been a while huh?" I asked, smiling and moving my hair back away from my eyes. They stared at me for a second, and I saw the look of recognition in Daxter's eyes.

"Trista? Wow! It's been a while! How've you been?" He jumped from Jak's shoulder to my arm, the good one, and I smiled at him.

"Pretty good. How about you guys back home?" I moved my left arm behind my back, because I could feel the blood leaking through my bandage.

"Same." Jak hasn't said anything yet. He has short hair now, and I have to say, it does look good on him.

"What's with your arm?" He asked, and I shrugged. I wasn't about to walk away, I wanted to talk to them more. I moved my right arm and Daxter jumped back to Jak.

"Nothing, hazards of life. I'm fine." I said, but I knew that he wasn't buying it. Sure enough, a second later he darted forward and pulled my arm into view.

"This looks bad. Where do you live? We'll take you there and help you get cleaned up, and so we can talk." He said, with the no nonsense look in his eyes, so I shrugged and led them down a street to my house.

Unlocking the door, I hoped silently that Mel wasn't going to show up and be a spaz in front of Jak. To my luck, she was out. Probably picking up something from Max, she wouldn't be back until later. I walked to a cabinet and pulled out my med kit. I would just put a wrap on it.

"No, let me do it." Jak took the kit from my hands and set it aside, grabbing a cloth nearby and wetting it in the sink, then walked back over. I flinched as he pulled my makeshift bandage off and started cleaning the blood off of my arm.

"Sorry. What've you been doing this last year? It's been forever. I can't believe you had to leave like that." He said. I shrugged and told them about the missions I sometimes go on, but mostly painted pictures of Haven and Spargus, and the ocean. He smiled and nodded, and inspected the cut on my arm.

"Not that deep. Here." He wrapped it and taped it in place and smiled at me. I returned it and looked around uncomfortably.

"So why are you here?" I asked softly, and Daxter curled up on my lap as Jak started telling me about what had happened since I had been gone. Then he told me about what had happened to Errol and I stood, knocking Daxter onto the floor.

"No, it's not true. My cousin would never… He isn't…" I couldn't even finish and hid my face in my hands. Errol, what had happened to you? How did you change so much? When you stopped writing, I thought you were busy, or something! But this, I never thought I would hear this!

"Trista? Trista, I'm so sorry." Jak's hand was on my shoulder now, and I threw myself into his arms and cried softly. He awkwardly hugged me back gently, and after a couple of minutes I let go and stepped back.

"Sorry Jak. It's just, Errol always looked after me, and protected me however he could. To hear that he changed so much, and is most likely dead now, it's just so hard to think about." I said, and picked up my sketch book and flipped to the picture of Errol that I had drawn.

"I know, trust me. I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you." He said, and I smiled sadly and shook my head slightly.

"It's ok. At least now I know. And I guess I can rest easily knowing that he was a good person. Thank you." We talked a little longer and then Jak had to go and meet our leader.

"Promise to come see me again Jak. I've missed you guys so much." I said, standing in my doorway, and he turned and smiled at me.

"Of course. We've missed you too." He said, and Daxter nodded in agreement. I waved and watched them walk away. Only after walking back inside, I fell to my knees and cried for Errol. For what he had become, and for what he had lost. For the longest time I remained on the floor, so twisted by the pain that I couldn't even raise myself back to my feet. Someone knocked on the door, but I ignored them and they eventually went away.

The ocean was roaring in my ears, and it seemed like there was thunder trapped inside me. So great was this pain that it washed over me like the ocean, but instead of pulling the pain away, it only intensified it.

Eventually, I rose to my feet and walked to the window and stared at the sky. Jak had told me why he had been exiled, and I felt horrible for him, but it made me wonder if I would be able to go back. Not right now, but maybe soon. That would be good for me. I needed to be around people who knew exactly how much this hurt. No one here, except for Jak and Daxter, knew anything about how I came here. Not even Mel, because I lived in fear of someone coming to find me here.

I stared at the ocean in the distance, and smiled slightly and turned away to go outside and swim for a while.

Someday soon, hopefully.

Me: Ok, read and review. Thanks to those who have.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Fifteen

It had been a week since Jak got here, and he was already busy with missions again. I smiled as I walked through the streets of Spargus, and looked around for Mel. She should have been wandering around by now, but I couldn't take the time to find her. On my arm was a basket, filled with flowers. I had found a small place where the flowers would actually grow and the few children who had once seen them actually liked them, so I handed them out a lot.

I hummed to myself as I walked along the streets, staring blankly at the sky, almost as if it would be able to lift me and take me back to Haven. I still missed the city, even if I didn't live there anymore.

"Attention citizens of Spargus. A storm is approaching the city. Begin preparations." Damas's voice rang out over the streets and I stopped in my tracks. A storm, I needed to get home. Mostly because it wasn't safe to be on the streets during the storm. I looked around, and sure enough, the people were running to the safety of their homes, and some others were running to try and protect the city from getting hit too badly by the storm. I wasn't quite sure how they did that though.

"Trista! What are you doing just standing there! We need to get going!" Max grabbed my arm and ran through the streets in the direction of my house, which wasn't that far from his. Already sand was making it's way past the wall and he let go of my arm. His house was nearby, and I could see mine through the thin haze, he coughed and ran into the safety of his place.

I ran up to my door and opened it, escaping from the already sand filled air. I coughed several times, feeling sand in my mouth and throat, making it hard to breath. After a couple moments my airway was clear and I breathed in a grateful breath.

I looked around my home and ran to close the window, where sand was flying in. I looked around and saw only a little sand on the floor, I would clean it later. I turned my back to the window and set my basket on the table, it looked like I was going to have to hand these out another time.

Suddenly, my window flew open again and I raced over and tried to shut it, but it wouldn't move. As I struggled, I failed to notice the two metallic hands reaching through my window, and I didn't until I felt them grab my wrists and pull me through the open window. The sand was swirling through the air so thick now that I couldn't see my captor, or breath. The last thing I remember was having some type of mask placed over my mouth and nose and everything went black.

I awoke laying on a cold steel floor, and I pushed myself up, looking around.

"Where am I?" I muttered weakly. I heard a laugh from behind me and froze, but not because I was afraid, it was mostly because I had heard that laugh before. I turned slowly and stared at the one man I never thought I would see again. I swallowed the large lump in my throat and forced myself to speak.

"Errol?" Yes, this was defiantly him. He looked really different, he had a lot of metal instead of actual skin and bones, but this was my cousin, and he was alive! I didn't know whether to hug him or remain on the floor, but my instincts told me that hugging him would be a bad idea, so I remained where I was.

"Surprised? No doubt. You must have been told about everything that had happened by Jak. Yes dear cousin, all that did happen, but I'm still alive. It's been a while." He said, walking over and offering me his hand to help me up. I took it and was easily pulled to my feet, but all I could do was stare at him.

"You look shocked, but I know you. You aren't repulsed at all. Just wondering what happened to me," He paused and chuckled, and kept his grip on my hand as he pulled me gently through a door, into a hallway, "Well I'll tell you."

I listened silently as he explained everything, and as I listened, for some reason, I became incredibly sad. I turned my face away so he couldn't see the tears that were gathering in my eyes, but he looked at me and turned my face to look at him, wiping away the tears that had rebelled and escaped.

"Are you afraid cousin?" He asked, but I shook my head violently and he smiled at me.

"I would never hurt you." He said, and I nodded, but felt compelled to tell him why I was crying, mostly because I was crying for him.

"I would never be afraid of you Errol. I know that you are a good person, and it hurts me to think that no one else can see that." I grabbed his arm and smiled at him. He looked startled for a moment, and then relaxed into a carefree smile.

Maybe that's why I can see the good side of Errol when no one else can. We're related, we're blood, and we remain loyal to each other. It hurt me to think what he was going through all by himself, without anyone who could really understand the pain he was going through.

"I'm sure you're wondering where we are. Well, we are in Haven, or above it. I brought you back here because I need you to keep an eye on the underground's movements, and also because I've, well, I've missed you." He looked really uncomfortable saying that, but I loved hearing it anyway. I nodded and he opened the door to another room, and led me inside.

"To make it look like you escaped from me, I'm going to send you down on a ship that my machines are going to destroy, only you'll be protected. I'll send you down near the underground base that Torn is in and most likely, he'll have you rescued." I nodded and he walked over with me to an airship.

He looked at me with something that looked a lot like concern in his eyes.

"Are you ready?"

Me: Cliffhanger! Oh I'm so evil. Read and review please, thanks to those who have.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Sixteen

Was I ready? I guess I am, and even though this sounds really odd, I was looking forward to this. After all, I get to go home. I nodded and he smiled at me, and opened the door to the airship, but after I climbed in he pressed a small transmitter into my hand.

"Whenever I need you to come back, I'll use this. If you ever need me, just use this transmitter. Good luck." He stepped back and the door slid shut. One look at the control panel told me that it was all set up to fly on it's own, even the defensive pattern was locked in. I strapped myself into the seat and startled a little when the ship rose into the air. For a moment there was no movement, and I feared that something had gone wrong, but the ship flew forward and I relaxed my shoulders.

I tensed up again pretty quickly though, as blasts rocked the ship. I was clinging to the seat, and despite Errol's assurances, I was uneasy. I mean, who could possibly be relaxed in a situation like this. Another explosion caught my attention and a computer voice started speaking.

"Engine damaged. Beginning descent." Oh great. Well, here comes the big crash. Yet another explosion rocked the ship, and again the computer felt the need to feed my increasing tension.

"Landing thrusters damaged. Crash land in three…two…one." The ship hit the pathway and skidded forward, and I listened to the startled yells outside, but was distracted by the wall that I was headed toward. One huge explosion later, I was sitting in my seat, dazed and bleeding, but overall okay, while soldiers outside were yelling instructions.

"Open the door! Someone could be alive in there!" That was Torn's voice. I winced as the door opened, a ray of light was shining into my eyes, which I found really annoying.

"Step back! All of you, get that engine fire out! Trista!" I looked at Torn, who was staring at me like I was already dead or something. I waved slightly, and let my arm fall back by my side as he leaned forward and released the straps holding me in place.

"Rough landing huh? I have got to work on those." I grinned at him and he reached forward more and pulled my arm around his neck, and lifted me out of the burning airship. I thought about what I was supposed to tell him. Errol didn't say anything about what I was supposed to use as an alibi, and if he did, I certainly couldn't remember what it was, but I thought it best not to tell Torn about Errol just yet.

"Let's get you to our new hideout." Torn said, half carrying me along the walkway. I was a little dazed by the crash but there wasn't any significant damage to me. I shook my head a little to clear my senses, but that only made me dizzy.

"Easy." Torn said, and stopped in front of the bar that Daxter took over a while back, and pulled me inside it.

"Nice place." I murmured sleepily and he smirked, and helped me into a booth.

"Been a while Torn. How's life treating you guys?" He was staring at me now, and a different soldier brought over a med kit.

"Fine. Trista, what happened?" He exclaimed as I wrapped my arm with a bandage, and the soldier wrapped up the large gash on the side of my head, which I hadn't noticed. I made a mental note of not doing that again.

"I borrowed an airship to get back here, and I guess I got a little too close to that factory, whatever that is. Next thing I know, some explosions killed my engine and landing thrusters. I'm amazed I made it here." I explained, and saw his gaze turn dark as he thought about what I just told him. I swallowed nervously, and wondered if he believed me or not.

"You're lucky you survived. I'm glad you're safe, and that you came back. We need your help now more than ever." I glanced at him with a question in my eyes, and I guess he understood it, because he motioned for me to follow him. We walked over to the computer in the middle of the room and he touched the screen.

"The barons gone yes, but the palace was taken down. Kg's and metal heads are attacking us from both sides these days, and we got cut off from our main headquarters. You wouldn't believe what the city looks like these days. You wouldn't want to. It's all we can do to keep the people who remain alive, and even that's a struggle." He glared at the data being read out of the machine like it was its fault.

I shook my head and tried to comprehend everything he had just told me.

"What about the grand council? And Vegar? Aren't they doing anything?" Torn laughed bitterly and I jumped at the sound.

"Vegar? He plots and manipulates, he's as useless as the council is. We're on our own." I nodded and looked around.

"Where's Jinx and Tess?" I asked, but at that Torn smiled.

"Jinx is out blowing stuff up and Tess is at the gun course, why don't you go visit her?" I smiled and walked outside, heading to see an old friend.

Me: Yay! Read and review! Thanks to those who have.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Seventeen

I had to look around a little but I found my way to the gun course without much difficulty. What probably slowed me down the most was how long I looked around, hardly daring to believe that I was finally home, and how worried my friends back in Spargus must be.

After a couple minutes I walked through the door of the gun course and smiled at the blond who was working on a gun. Tess hadn't changed much, and I knew that any gun she made would easily blow away some of the toughest fighters out there. Jak could probably handle it, but according to him, he might not be coming back here.

I snuck up behind her and grabbed her wrist, to which she spun around and aimed the massive gun at me. I held up my hands as a sign of peace and she relaxed when she realized who I was.

"Easy there kid. Want to blow up your best friend not that long after she comes home? That's cold." I teased, and she dropped the gun, hugging me and causing the gun to misfire, but I moved my leg so the shot missed.

"Trista! I missed you! How did you get back?" She exclaimed, holding me at an arms length like I was going to disappear or something. I grinned and held one of her hands as I recounted the story that I told Torn. I didn't like to lie to my family, but Errol needed me to do this for him. I knew that in the end I would have to chose which family's side I was on, but that day wasn't until a while from now.

She shook her head as I explained, and sighed when I finished my explanation. I looked at her oddly, to which she just turned away and then turned back with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad you're home safe. You heard about Jak and Daxter I suppose. Onin says that Pecker went with them. It feels a little lonely around here sometimes, but we're still keeping up the good fight." I nodded and walked over, admiring the guns that were on shelves.

"You do good work Tess. Bet Jak would love one of these babies. He and Daxter and Pecker are fine. Don't worry so much, if I know Jak at all, he'll find a way to come back here when he's needed." I noticed that her eyes had a red color to them and it just struck me that she had been crying.

"Tess? Are you okay?" I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and smiled at me, but I knew better. I also knew not to press the point to much. She would talk about it when she wanted to, and until then it wasn't my place to make her if she didn't want to.

After a while of talking with her, I said goodbye and headed back outside. It was starting to turn dark and I wanted to get some type of sleep. Besides, the world will still be messed up tomarrow.

ME: I LOST MY JAK 3 GAME!Cries inconsolably oh well, sorry it's so short. I'll make it longer next time. Read and review. Thanks to those who have!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2 or 3 or any of the characters except for Trista. Naughty dog does.

Chapter Eighteen

I woke up in Torn's bed. Now I know what that sounds like, but I was only there because my apartment had been torn apart by the baron not that long after I had left, and then it was completely destroyed by the metal head and Kg attacks long ago.

I stretched and listened silently to the shuffling of blankets in the other room and Torn's tired grumbling. He was just getting up and probably thought he would have to wake me up as well. I wanted to be able to get dressed before he came in here. I forced my self to leave the beds warmth. Surprisingly, Torn's bed was really soft and really warm, and I loved it. He was making me stay there until he had lined me up a good apartment.

I opened my closet door and pulled on my old battle outfit. You know, the half of a long blue skirt over my shorts. I had seen someone wear this type of outfit before and I thought it was cute so I borrowed the look. Didn't matter really, that girl was killed by the baron several years ago.

Once I was up and dressed, I walked out into the living room and looked around. Sounds in the kitchen gave away where Torn was and I smiled to myself. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who was able to cook. I shrugged a little and wandered into the kitchen and smiled at him. He was standing there with a skillet in one hand and an egg in the other.

"Well look who's up bright and early today. Special reason?" He teased slightly, but I just made a face at him and leaned against the dingy gray wall. In this city, the homes weren't that nice, but he had a rather nice one. Being high up in the underground pays well I guess.

While I was pondering this thought, he had turned back to the stove and in a minute the smell of cooking eggs filled the small kitchen. I smiled slightly as he turned to me and offered me a plate, which I gratefully accepted. He set his own plate down and returned to the counter, only to come back and offer me a fork and a glass of juice.

"Thanks." He nodded and sat across the table from me and ate, reading a print sheet of the latest casualties on each side. I rolled my eyes slightly at this. In my mind, that was a very depressing way to start the day.

We ate in silence and once I finished, I put my dishes in the sink and washed them.

"You didn't need to do that." He said, but I shook my head in disagreement. I was not going to make him do all of the work here. Whatever mess I made I wasn't going to make other people pick up.

I waved goodbye to him and opened the door before slipping outside. Some soldiers who were clad in blue armor walked by and I smiled at them. Torn was pretty powerful now, and I wasn't even sure why. I didn't want to bring up any painful memories for them. I sighed and looked around. There weren't any poor citizens needing protection from these guards.

That's what I didn't get about Errol. I didn't even know how I was supposed to spy on my family. I didn't know what type of information to try and find out. I was about to pull out the tiny transmitter when it flew out of my pack by itself.

"Trista. There's an airship around the corner from where you are. Climb aboard and get back to my base for a minute." Errol's voice was soft enough so the people walking by couldn't hear it. I clicked it off and rounded the corner. Sure enough, there was the airship. I rolled my eyes and looked around. There weren't any guards around, so I climbed in.

Not ten minutes later the airship stopped and I steadied myself before I climbed out. I wasn't one who really liked to fly much, and I didn't think I was going to get used to the feeling anytime soon.

ME: Read and review please!


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